Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to answer reporters who have questioned her rejection of a much larger stimulus package before the presidential election. CNN senior Congressional correspondent Manu Raju even grew frustrated with Pelosi’s ability to dodge important questions. The American people deserve answers on why she blocked financial relief for so long.
It started with a press conference where House Speaker Pelosi announced that lawmakers had struck a deal on a $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package. It includes a $600 direct stimulus check, restarting a $300 boost to the federal unemployment insurance benefit, extending eviction moratoriums for renters, an extension of the Paycheck Protection program, and direct billions to small business grants, increased funding for vaccine distribution, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Pelosi blamed the GOP for why there were delays in reaching a coronavirus relief deal and said Republicans didn’t want to “crush the virus,” even though she had blocked and rejected several deals herself. When asked by reporter Raju why the $900 billion deal was much more acceptable than the $1.8 trillion offer that was on the table, Pelosi refused to answer.
In a series of tweets, the CNN reporter wrote the incident that took place when he tried to further question the House Speaker.
“Pelosi wouldn’t answer my question about why the $900 billion deal is more acceptable to her than the $1.8 trillion offer Mnuchin made to her this fall. Pelosi wouldn’t call on me at the press conference, which is becoming a pattern, even though just five reporters were there. She left the press conference as I asked her the question. And she ignored my question in the hallway as well,” Raju wrote.
Raju said that he asked her again in the hallways, but Pelosi didn’t respond. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, was walking with her in the hallway and said “Ask Mitch McConnell.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans had objected to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s plan back in October, but so did Pelosi. She even said the proposal takes “one step forward and two steps back.”
McConnell also slammed Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, for stalling on a deal simply because they did not want to accept one before the election. He noted that as far back as July, Republicans have supported a package similar to the bipartisan deal that was just accepted by lawmakers. They decided that partisan politics were much more important than getting relief to the millions of struggling American families.
“There is no doubt this new agreement contains input from our Democratic colleagues. It is bipartisan. But these matters could have been settled long ago,” he continued. “So why did it take all this time? We know why. We have heard Democrats say openly that they were not willing to deal all summer and fall, but are willing now because they now have a President-elect of their own political party. That’s not my accusation … that’s their admission,” McConnell said.
Pelosi had previously admitted that a “new president and a vaccine” changes everything for her. “With a Democratic president committed to a scientific solution for [the virus], with the idea that we will have a vaccine, it’s a complete game-changer from then,” she said.
Pelosi has failed each and every person who went unemployed after losing their jobs to government-mandated shutdowns. She won’t even own up to it either…
